Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (April 20)

Vice President Joe Biden spoke today with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko about the situation in the east and Ukraine’s reform agenda. The Vice President informed President Poroshenko that the United States will provide the Government of Ukraine with an additional $17.7 million in humanitarian assistance for vulnerable populations, including shelter, health and sanitation support, food vouchers, and potable water. The two leaders welcomed efforts by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to negotiate permanent ceasefires in specific areas where fighting is still ongoing, and called on Russia to abide by the terms of the Minsk agreements and to stop the transfer of heavy weapons into Ukraine and massing of troops along the international border. Finally, the two leaders discussed Ukraine’s reform efforts and the Vice President welcomed the appointment of a new head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and encouraged the further implementation of rule of law reforms, including anti-trust measures and judicial reform.